On Top Backpackers

I stayed in a 6 bed dorm and I really liked it. It's very clean, you have a nice kitchen with free continental breakfast and free coffee and tea all the time. There is a small salon to spend time and a billar bar downstairs. The common toilets are pretty ok, but you have to pay extra for towels and there is no shampoo. The hostel is right in the city and the emplacement is very quiet. The only thing is that there are no lockers/storage space in the room and everything is located in a second floor, so no so easy access if you have heavy luggage, but in general I do recommend it 👌🏻

I spent a few nights here solo in a mixed 8 person dorm, and overall, it was fairly good, especially for the price. The rooms were clean and the bedding was suitable and comfortable/warm enough. However, the dorm-type room I was in did not have any lockers or extra space for luggage (there is provided secure storage, but it is only accessible when staff are around after 10am), besides the room itself and under the beds. There were also no tables inside the dorm rooms. There was one shared toilet room for multiple dorm-style rooms, and a large room containing multiple shower cubicles for everyone across the facility, and in general, these were fine. There was also a common kitchen and lounge area with tables, fridges, games, and kitchenware/other equipment, as well as the pool area and bar below the backpackers itself. I valued the free breakfast and free WiFi, and when I requested to change room due to noise, they handled the request smoothly, and in general, check-in and check-out were also smooth. There were a few leaks around the premises, but these were not too big of an issue, and the cleanliness overall was satisfactory. I do recommend bringing your own towel and soap, as they are not provided for free. I did not use the laundry service, so cannot comment on it. The parking around the backpackers is generally paid, and there is a council-controlled carpark right next to the hostel. There are also a few events mainly associated with the bar and pool area, but I did not participate in them, and in general, the atmosphere was chill, with a bit of socialisation depending on the people.

I stayed here for one night when I was in Dunedin. The check-in time is from 2 PM, and I arrived a little earlier, but they had a service to store my luggage, so I was able to leave my bags and go explore the city. The room, toilet, and shower were all very clean and tidy. I was planning to leave early the next morning, so I tried to sleep early, but since my room was right next to the kitchen and living room, I could hear quite a bit of noise, which made it difficult to fall asleep. However, if noise isn’t an issue for you, I think it would be a much more comfortable stay!

Two charging stations for 8 people in the dorm. No hair dryer, no curtains, stupid design for the stairs to climb up to the upper bunker so people will step on your bed all the time, loud music etc This place is trash

Nice hostel! Really well located in the city, close to everything. The beds were okay, classic bunk-bed that the moment someone move everything move haha! One small thing in the room that i had was that I had windows up to the ceiling with no curtains so make sure you have an eyes mask. Very clean hostel and kitchen have everything. Staff were super nice too. A good stay in general for my stay of 3 nights.

These are some exchange of communications between me and On Top Backpackers: 1. On Top Backpackers Hello Guest, We did not receive the key card upon departure. This has incurred a $5 card replacement fee charged to the card provided. If you can return the key card, please do so and we will happily refund. We hope you enjoyed your stay in Dunedin and all the best for your future travels - On Top Hostel A. Mine Hi, I put the keycard on the grey box and put my pillow case in the chair on the morning of yesterday *Satuday) as I decided not to stay in your place for another night . Please send me an email so I can send photos and a video of me putting the card in the grey box and the pillow case in the chair. I was unable to sleep on my first night as my roommates and the people outside were very noisy up until unholy hours . I decided not to complain as it was a waste of my time and energy. Also, the key card was not properly working on all doors. Even my roommates had the same problem. The women's restroom were flooded when I arrived, and no one cleaned them the next day. So please send me an email for me to send proof that I left the keycard and pillowcase as instructed. I actually want a refund, but as I have mentioned that it is a waste of time and energy to complain, especially since there's no one at the reception when I decided to leave. Thank you. B. On Top Backpackers Good morning, Would be helpful to notify staff if you decide not to stay for the entirety of your stay to avoid confusion such as this as you are still accounted for on the system :) definitely worth the energy letting us know then instead of now, it is important for management to be aware of any disturbances - if we do not know, we of course cannot do anything about it. We did not receive any noise complaints from anyone this weekend. We give you an urgent contact number to call any time after hours in case of unfortunate disrespectful guests of which we can encounter from time to time in Backpackers especially on the weekends! Our night watch lives onsite 24/7 and can take care of this for you so you can get a restful sleep. Reception is not 24 hours. The hours are stated upon your welcome note. You have from 10am - 10pm to approach staff within On Top or again call us anytime :) If you can please just advise me of the time of your chosen departure yesterday so I can check our CCTV camera to confirm check out process completed and then will immediately refund your $5 back to card provided. Please bring any issues to the attention of management whilst at the property in future so we can help make your stay the best, most comfortable one whilst here. We cannot do anything once you have departed. Our intention is to provide a great stay not a miserable one, however we do not know it is miserable if you just leave without communication. Cheers :) B. Mine Thank you for your reply. I know where you're coming from, and I hope you understand that not all people want confrontation and / or arguments. I had a very tough few weeks before staying at On Top, so complaining was the last thing on my mind. Kindly check the time stamp at 7:14 am. yesterday, as that is the time I took the video of me dropping the keycard in the grey box. I would appreciate it if you could refund the $5. C. On Top Appreciate the understanding. Being a Hostel, as you can imagine within shared facilities there are always issues that are constant and unavoidable. Our staff work tireless, 12 hour shifts daily to maintain cleanliness and deal with these encounters so when we get told of a negative experience afterwards it is very disheartening. We truly welcome the feedback so we can fix any complaints immediately, otherwise all the hard work just goes to waste. I hope you have a better coming week; I was able to refund you $25 to acknowledge your unfortunate experience here at On Top. I hope this validates the effort of expressing your concerns and shows management are willing to do what we can to turn an unpleasant time into a memorable one!

Staff were RUDE Showers have mold Their rules are nuts , you can’t even have a snack or drink anything in your room , even the private rooms !! Last but not least , I was charged $50 for a spill on a pool table that wasn’t my fault and there was no talking about it , guy dealing with the situation was awful . Never ever coming back

Pros: - great location; very central - awesome that there's a really nice pool room downstairs available for free most days. - Staff were fine for me Cons: - Their request for patrons to be quiet by 9:00 PM isn't respected. Caused me to set a wrong expectation that I could get an early night's rest. - Have stayed in sturdier bed frames at similarly priced hostels. Summary: Still somehow you get great value for what you pay for which is surprising given that I am writing this suffering two sleepless nights here.